I'm struck by how rapidly security seems to be moving into hardware. An added impetus will likely come from the increased awareness (aka fear) that Stuxnet has stirred up in the factory/automation sector. I wrote a little bit about this last month, here.

Every security technology, whether software or hardware-based has their own set of vulnerabilities. Any sense of what the potential downsides or risks are with a silicon-based approach vs. traditional software security methods?

As awareness of Stuxnet continues to resonant in the automation sector, I believe we're going to see a push towards hardware-based security in embedded settings. Of course, Intel is driving this from the vendor side, via their purchase of McAfee and research into security instructions and execution on the microprocessor/microcontroller itself.

Industrial workplaces are governed by OSHA rules, but this isn’t to say that rules are always followed. While injuries happen on production floors for a variety of reasons, of the top 10 OSHA rules that are most often ignored in industrial settings, two directly involve machine design: lockout/tagout procedures (LO/TO) and machine guarding.

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